


The Boss's Sister

by moonlights_glow



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Angst, doyle plotline, emily's "death", foyett plotline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:15:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28886715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlights_glow/pseuds/moonlights_glow
Summary: Aaron Hotchner has a younger sister. And Emily is absolutely enamored with her.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Reader, Emily Prentiss/Reader
Kudos: 31





	The Boss's Sister

“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.” -Alfred Eisenstaedt 

  
~

Heels clicked against the floor of the BAU, catching the team’s attention.

“Uh, excuse me,” you said to JJ, “is Aaron Hotchner in?”

“Um, yeah. Yeah, he should be in his office. It’s the first one when you go up the stairs.”

“Thank you.” As you went up to Hotch’s office, the team looked around at each other. When they saw Hotch smile and hug you, they started theorizing. 

“Okay, who is she?” JJ asked. “I mean, obviously Hotch knows her.”

“An old friend, maybe?” Spencer offered. 

“I don’t know, he seems pretty close to her. And his divorce _did_ just get finalized,” Prentiss suggested. 

“You don’t think…”

“I don’t know, Garcia. He doesn’t really share his life with us.”

“You know, children,” Rossi said, walking up to the cluster of FBI agents, “it’s not polite to gossip.” The group mumbled their apologies. “You know, instead of theorizing about who she could be, why don’t you just _ask_ Hotch?”

~

Meanwhile, you and Aaron were casually observing his team. 

“So, you think they’re speculating about me?”

“Oh, definitely,” Aaron laughed. “What are you doing here, (Y/N)?”

“What, I can’t visit my big brother on the rare occasion he’s home when I get a D.C. assignment?”

“No, you can. I just didn’t expect it.”

“That’s the point of a surprise, dum-dum.”

Aaron shook his head. “You’re ridiculous. So, should I introduce you to my team, make them stop gossiping?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” you said. “I’d love to meet your work-family.”

~

“Guys, this is my sister, (Y/N),” Hotch introduced you to the team.

While the team muttered in understanding, Rossi held his hand out to you. “It’s nice to see you again, (Y/N).”

“You too, Dave,” you said with a smile. 

“So, what are you doing in town?” he asked you. 

“Work assignment.”

“Ooh, what do you do?” a blonde woman in a brightly colored dress asked you. 

“That’s Garcia,” Aaron told you. 

“Thanks. I’m a photographer. I travel around the world and take pictures for museums, art galleries, zoos, places like that.”

“Have we seen any of your stuff?” the man your brother introduced as Dr. Reid asked you. 

“Remember when the San Diego Zoo had that baby otter a few months ago? Those were my pictures.”

“Aw, those were so cute!” Garcia said. “I looked at those pictures when we were working on a really icky case.”

“What are you working on now?” Agent Jareau asked you. 

“Oh, the National Gallery of Art has a new exhibit they want me to get shots of.”

“That’s so cool!”

“You know, maybe when you’re done taking pictures for a tourist destination, I can show you some local spots,” Derek Morgan said. 

You laughed. “Sorry, Hotshot, I don’t swing that way.” Your phone beeped. “Oh, I gotta run. My assistant just landed with my equipment.” You kissed your brother’s cheek. “Hey, don’t forget, Aaron, dinner tonight. The only way you’re getting out of this is if you’re halfway across the country.”

“Yeah, okay. Get out of here,” he told you. “Susanna’s gonna get impatient.”

“Right. Bye, guys! It was great to meet you!”

After you left, the team turned to Hotch. 

“So, you have a sister, too?” Morgan asked. 

“Yep, and she shot you _down_ ,” Prentiss laughed. 

“Hey, can you blame a guy for trying?”

“Morgan, she was wearing a flannel buttoned all the way up and heeled Doc Martens. I thought you were a profiler.”

“Hey, JJ,” Garcia said, “remember when we met Sean and I thought Hotch might be adopted?”

“Yeah?”

“I definitely still think that.”

“Okay, ha-ha,” Hotch said. “No, I’m not adopted, yes my sister is gay. Now get back to work.”

~

“Ms. Hotchner,” the director of the museum said, holding his hand out to you. “Thank you for coming.”

“Mr. Campbell,” you said with a smile, shaking his hand. “Thank you for having me here. This is my assistant, Susanna Van Horn.”

Susanna shifted the bags with your various lenses around and shook the man’s hand. “Hello, sir.”

“I trust you have some good pictures?”

“Yes, sir. My office should have them to you in two weeks’ time.”

“Wonderful, wonderful. I am very eager to put these Wain paintings on our website.”

“Well, I will send these back to the office as soon as I get back to my hotel room.”

“Uh, (Y/N)?” Susanna said, her voice wavering. 

“Speaking of, we should get back. Poor Sue here looks like she’s about to collapse.”

When you got back to the hotel room, Susanna dropped your various bags on lenses on her bed. She groaned and flopped onto your bed. 

“Hey, at least you can overnight the bags to Philly now,” you told the girl. “One of the interns at the office can pick them up from the airport.”

“Yeah. I’m gonna take a hot bath, my shoulders are killing me. Have fun at dinner.”

“Thanks, Sue,” you said, grabbing your bag and swinging it over your shoulder.

~

“There’s my big brother,” you said when Aaron finally got to the restaurant. You got up from your reserved table to hug him. “How was work?”

He sat down across from you and shrugged. “Not as bad as it could have been. How was the shoot?”

“Pretty simple,” you told him, picking up the menu in front of you. “We’re heading back tomorrow morning. You want an appetizer, A?”

“You know, I’m not really all that hungry.”

You set the menu down on the table. “Aaron, I swear to god, you are going to eat a decent meal if I have to force-feed you and you will have leftovers to take home with you.”

“Okay, okay,” Aaron said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’ll get something.”

“Good. And I’m paying, whether you like it or not.”

“Why are you really here, (Y/N)?” he asked you. “And don’t say it’s for work. They could have sent anyone to D.C., but they sent you.”

You sighed. “Aaron, it doesn’t take an FBI profiler to know you’re not okay with this split. You’ve been in love with Haley since you were in high school.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“Look, you were there for me during the worst moments of my life. The least I can do is be here for you now.” You smiled at him. “Is solace anywhere more comforting than that in the arms of a sister?”

“That’s from Alice Walker,” he said. “But she’s right. I am glad you’re here.”

“You know I’m always going to be here for you, Aaron. That’s what family is for.”

A waiter walked over to your table. “Hi, I’m Brian, I’ll be your server this evening. Can I start you off with anything to drink?”

~

“So, how was your dinner last night?” Rossi asked as the team gathered in the conference room. “How’s (Y/N)?”

“Well, she and three other people in her company are up for a big promotion.”

“Wow, that’s great. She deserves it, her shots are amazing.”

“Yeah, it comes with a huge raise, and she wouldn’t have to travel as much, or as often.”

“Well, wish her luck for me,” Rossi said as he and Hotch took their seats at the Round Table. “What’ve we got, JJ?”

“Small town in Texas.”

~

It was about three in the morning when your hotel’s phone started ringing. You groaned and picked up the receiver. 

“Hello?” As soon as you heard the voice on the other end, you sat up quickly. “Oh-oh my god! Oh, my god, okay, I’m- I’ll get on the next flight out of here. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” You threw the phone back on the table and started shoving your belongings back into your suitcase. 

“What’s going on?” Susanna asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. 

“I have to go to D.C.,” you said, zipping up your carry-on. “My brother’s in the hospital.”

“What?”

“Aaron’s in the hospital. I have to go.”

You raced to the airport and ran over to the American Airlines booth. 

“Do you have any open flights to D.C.?” You panted, adjusting the bag on your shoulder. 

The woman tapped on the keys in front of her. “There’s one leaving in about 45 minutes,” she said, her southern accent strong.

“Great. How much for a last-minute ticket?”

“$2500.”

You sighed and pulled out your work credit cards. “Can you split it between these three? I also have frequent flyer miles.”

“Alright.” She took your cards and typed the numbers into her computer. “I just need to see your passport.”

You pulled the book out of your carry-on and set it on the counter. She printed out your boarding pass and you made your way to the gate. When you finally boarded the plane, you were beyond anxious. When the plane finally landed and you finally got to the hospital, you ran over to the receptionist. 

“I’m here to see Aaron Hotchner. What room is he in?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, we’re only letting family see him.”

“I’m his sister, I-”

“(Y/N)?”

You spun around. “Agent Prentiss!”

“Please, just Emily,” she said, walking over to you. “Did you just get here?”

“Yeah. How’s Aaron?” You took the visitor’s badge the receptionist had made you upon realizing you were telling the truth. 

“He’s resting,” she said. “Come on, I’ll take you to him.”

You followed Emily up to Aaron’s room. When you saw him lying on the bed, tubes and wires attached to him, you sank into the chair by the bed. 

“Do you know what happened?”

“We’re piecing it together. We know who it was, but we don’t know where to find him.”

~

You stayed at Aaron’s side until he woke up. You smiled at him when he registered where he was. 

“Hey, dum-dum.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you were in Greece.”

“I was. But your husband called me and told me what happened.”

Aaron huffed. “You don’t have to stay, you know.”

“I know. And I don’t _have_ to stay on your couch until the doctor clears you, but I’m going to.” Aaron laughed quietly and you reached out to squeeze his hand. “I’m gonna go grab a coffee, okay? I’ll be back soon.” You got up from the chair and headed to find the coffee machine. While walking down the hallway, you ran into Haley. 

“Haley, Jack!” you said, running over and hugging your ex-sister-in-law and your nephew.

“How is he?” Haley asked you when you let go, her eyes shining with tears. 

“He’ll be fine. He’s gonna be out of work for a few weeks, but he’s alive and he’s still our Type- A Aaron. I’m gonna go find some coffee, go see him. I’m sure seeing you and Jack would make him feel so much better.” You ruffled your nephew’s hair and gave Haley another hug before continuing towards the waiting room. 

The big red Out of Order sign on the coffee machine tanked your mood almost immediately. 

“Oh, goddamn it.”

“You alright?” Emily asked, coming to stand next to you. 

You sighed. “I’m running on less than five hours of sleep plus jetlag. Add that to the stress of my brother almost dying, I was really hoping for a damn coffee.”

“Well, maybe I could take you for one,” she offered. “Or, you know, if you don’t want coffee I could take you to dinner.”

You turned to her, a small smile gracing your face. “Agent Prentiss, are you asking your boss’s little sister out on a date?”

“Maybe I am,” she said, smiling back at you. 

“Well, seeing as how I have over 15 hours of cab, plane, and hospital on me, I’ll take that dinner offer.”

When you got back to Aaron’s room, he squinted at you. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you suddenly all smiley and giddy?”

“What, I can’t be happy to see my nephew and my sister-in-law?”

“Well, I’m glad you got to see them,” he said. “Because that’s the last time you will until we catch this man.”

~

You stood around Haley’s casket, holding Jack while Aaron talked about Haley. When he was done, he took Jack from your arms while you stepped up. 

You cleared your throat. “Many of you know me, I’m , uh, I’m Aaron’s younger sister. I-I remember when Aaron first met Haley. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about today. I want to tell you the story of the first time I really met Haley. I was in high school, Aaron was already in his own apartment in college. I, um, I came out to our father and he didn’t take it so well. I ran to Aaron’s apartment because I knew he’d be there for me. But when I got there, I was obviously interrupting a date between him and Haley. I expected them both to be annoyed that I interrupted them, but Haley…” You cleared a lump from your throat. “When she saw how upset I was, she pushed Aaron out of the way and pulled me onto the couch with her. She told me that I should never feel ashamed for loving who I love, and that she’d always be there for me.” You brushed away a tear that fell. “She treated me like I was her own sister. She became the big sister I never had.”

Aaron pulled you into his side and kissed the top of your head. The guests went through and placed their roses on the glossy coffin before heading to the church for the reception. 

“Aaron,” you said, “go. Go be with your team. I got Jack.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he eats,” you promised. “Go.”

“I’m not hungry,” Jack told you. 

“You’re not hungry?” He shook his head. You squatted down to his level. “Well, how about this: I’ll give you a cookie first, but you have to eat at least half a sandwich after, okay? It’ll be our little secret,” you said, booping his nose. You grabbed a cookie from the desert table behind you and made a show of looking for Aaron. “Just between Jack and Aunt (Y/N).” When Jack accepted the cookie, you sighed in relief and pushed yourself back up. 

~

You and Haley’s sister, Jessica, were helping Aaron unpack Jack’s belongings and placing them in the apartment. You could tell something was on your brother’s mind. You finished folding the shirt you were holding and tucked it in the drawer before turning to Aaron. 

“Okay. Out with it. What’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You have the scowl brow again. You usually reserve that for work. What’s wrong?”

Aaron sighed and stopped digging through the box of Jack’s belongings. “The bureau is offering me retirement.”

“But you don’t know if you’d be able to deal with it.”

“Yeah. I know I should take it because Jack needs me here but-”

“What if I move to D.C.?” you offered.

“(Y/N)-” 

“I can call Gabriel and get a job here, one where I don’t have to travel. Jess and I can watch Jack while you’re away on cases,” you said, nodding to Haley’s sister. 

“Yeah, we can alternate who takes care of him while you’re with the team,” Jessica said. “I live a few blocks over, it’s not like I’d be uprooting my life.”

“And I may have more than one reason to stay in D.C.,” you admitted. 

Aaron raised an eyebrow at you before saying, “Are you sure you guys would be okay with it?”

“Aaron, we wouldn’t be offering if we didn’t mean it,” Jessica said. “You’re family. Family supports family.”

Aaron smiled before turning to you, pointing an accusing finger. “And you. What is this other reason you have?”

You shrugged, picking up more of Jack’s clothes. “I may or may not have met someone.”

“Oh, really? And who is this someone?”

“Oh, just some beautiful, raven-haired goddess,” you said, nonchalantly folding your nephew’s clothing. 

Aaron scrutinized you. “Who is she?”

“Mmm, not sure I’m ready to tell you,” you said. 

“What? Why not?”

“Because you’ll overreact,” you said. 

“Oh, come on, no I won’t!”

“Aaron.”

He sighed. “Fine. Keep your secrets. I’ll just figure it out on my own.”

~

The team was in Wyoming, and you were at Aaron’s apartment with Jack. Your nephew started falling asleep next to you on the couch. 

“Jack, why don’t you go get ready for bed?” you said. The boy sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. “Go get in your pjs and brush your teeth, okay?”

“Can you read me another chapter of Narnia?” he asked you. 

“Sure, buddy,” you said. After he ran off to brush his teeth, your phone rang. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me. Is Jack still up?” Aaron asked on the other end. 

“Yeah, I just sent him to brush his teeth. Do you want to tell him goodnight? Hey, Jack!”

After Aaron talked to Jack and the boy went to bed, your phone rang again. You smiled when you saw the caller I.D.

“Hey, beautiful,” you said. “How’s the case going?”

“Didn’t you just talk to Hotch?” Emily asked you.

“Well, yeah, but I don’t like talking to him about that stuff. I like hearing _your_ voice.”

You could almost hear Emily’s smile. “Hopefully this case can wrap up soon. I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

She sighed. “I have to go. Rossi found something.”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll see you when you get back,” you said before saying goodbye to Emily. 

Emily tucked her phone back in her pocket and walked over to Rossi. 

“So, when are you going to tell Hotch you’re dating (Y/N)?”

“Um, never,” Emily said. 

“You really think you can keep it a secret, Emily?”

“How would I even start that conversation, Rossi?” she asked. “ _Hey, Hotch, you know the little sister you’re super overprotective of? Well, we’ve been dating for a few months._ ”

Unfortunately for Emily, Hotch was just within earshot of the conversation. He was about to interrupt when Rossi asked Emily an important question. 

“Well, do you see it going anywhere, or are the two of you just fooling around?”

Emily shook her head. “No, we’re not just messing around. I love her.”

“Then why are you so scared to tell Hotch?”

“Because I haven’t told her I love her yet.”

That was all Aaron needed to hear. He wouldn’t bring it up until you and Emily were ready to tell him. He was just glad to know who it was making his baby sister so happy. And he was glad it was someone he liked and trusted. 

~

Emily was acting strange. She was keeping to herself and avoiding your calls. You knew it wasn’t because of a case, because Aaron was home. After two weeks of your girlfriend avoiding you, you decided to talk to your brother. 

“Hey, Aaron?” you said to him while the two of you were preparing snacks for movie night with Jack. “Um, I need to talk to you about something.”

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” he asked you, setting the bowl of popcorn down on the counter.

“Um, I’m not sure,” you said, fidgeting with the dish towel on the counter. “Um, you know the woman I’ve been seeing? Well, it’s-it’s Emily.”

Aaron smiled at you. “I know.”

“What?”

“What, you thought you could keep a secret from me? I’m not just a profiler, (Y/N), I’m your big brother.”

“Right. Well, um, she’s been- she’s been acting weird lately. She’s been avoiding my calls and leaving me on read. Did something happen on a case?”

“I don’t think so,” Aaron said. “Do you want me to talk to her?”

You shook your head. “No. No, I just…” You sighed. “I’m probably overreacting. Let’s just enjoy _Finding Nemo_ with Jack.”

~

“She didn’t even make it off the table.”

The words shook you to your core. You collapsed into the couch behind you, covering your face in your hands as you started to sob. Aaron sat down next to you and pulled you close, rubbing your shoulder while your body shook. 

You were there long after everyone else had left, Aaron still sitting by your side. 

“I never got to tell her I love her,” you whispered, your voice hoarse from crying. 

~

In the months following Emily’s death, your mental health entered a steep decline. You rarely left your apartment, only leaving for work and to pick Jack up from school when it was your turn to watch him. 

On one of your days off, you were sitting on your couch, blankly staring at the television. There was a knock on your door before it opened. Jessica and Jack came in, your nephew running over to you. He jumped up on the couch and wrapped his arms around your neck as Jessica sat next to you. 

“What are you guys doing here?” you asked. 

“We just wanted to check in on you,” Jess said. 

“You wanted to check on me, or Aaron asked you to check on me?”

“ _I_ wanted to check on you,” Jess said. “I’ve been worried about you.”

Since Haley’s death, you and Jess grew closer. The two of you became like sisters, like you had been with Haley. 

You sighed. “I’m the same as yesterday, the same as tomorrow. The same I’ve been since I woke up in a world without Emily.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Jess pulled you into a hug, Jack squeezing you too.

“I don’t like when you’re sad, Aunt (Y/N),” Jack told you. “It makes me sad.”

“Well, maybe we can do something to help cheer (Y/N) up,” Jess suggested. 

“Ice cream!”

You couldn’t help the smile that crept onto your face. “You’re a smart boy, you know that, Jack?”

~

Your eyes had to be playing tricks on you. It was your prolonged grief messing with your head. That was the only explanation. That was the only way Emily could be standing in the bullpen. Alive. 

You dropped the bag in your hand, causing the team to turn around. It was definitely Emily. Emily was alive. 

“(Y/N),” Emily said, her smile dazzling.

“Em-Emily,” you said. “You’re- how are you- we _buried_ you.”

“(Y/N), we can explain,” Aaron said. “We had to tell you she-”

“You-you _knew_ ? You _knew_ she was alive and you never told me?” You just about shrieked, pointing at your older brother.

“(Y/N)-”

“Don’t!” you said. “There’s nothing you can say, Aaron. You lied to me. You let me be miserable for months.” You turned on your heel and stormed out of the BAU. 

Emily started after you and Aaron made to follow her, but Rossi stopped him. “Aaron, don’t. You’ll overwhelm her. She just found out her girlfriend didn’t actually die. Let her work it out in her own time.”

~

The knock on your apartment door didn’t help your anger at all. 

“Go away, Aaron!” you yelled. 

“It’s not Aaron.”

You walked over to your door and opened it to see Emily. Your shoulders relaxed. “Oh. Hi.”

“Hey. Are you okay?” Emily asked you. 

You shrugged, opening the door more for her to come in. “I don’t know,” you admitted. “Angry, confused. Mostly angry,” you said.

“I’m so sorry, (Y/N),” Emily said. 

“I’m not mad at you, Em,” you told her. “I’m mad at Aaron. He knew how miserable I was for months, and never once did he tell me the truth. Never once did he say, ‘ _Hey, (Y/N), you know how the love of your life was brutally murdered? Well, she’s actually still alive._ ’ And it’s not like he didn’t have the opportunity. I spent more time with him and Jack in the aftermath than I did in my own home.”

“Don’t be mad at Hotch,” Emily said. “He was only doing what I told him to.”

“What?”

Emily sighed. “If Doyle knew I was still alive, he would have come after you. And I couldn’t- I couldn’t live in a world without you in it.”

“And you thought I could? Emily-”

“No, I knew you’d be upset, but I thought you’d move on.”

“How could I? I love you, Emily. When I thought I lost you, I lost myself.” You looked down at your hands, trying to hold back tears. 

Emily tipped your head back up to meet her eyes. “There wasn’t a day I didn’t think about you,” she said. “Actually, you were probably the only thing I thought about.” She wiped away one of your tears with her thumb. “And believe me, I’m never leaving you again. I love you, (Y/N) Hotchner.”

“And I love you, Emily Prentiss.”

~

“I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self-respect.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald


End file.
